Study: Job Loss-Related Stress Hits African-Americans Particularly Hard

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – A new study from the University of Minnesota's School of Public Health found that people who lost their jobs during the 2008 recession reported increased alcohol use disorders and drunkenness, especially African-Americans.

The university says that the study, which was published Tuesday in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs, examined national survey data for an insight into how the loss of a job – and the stress that comes with that – affects individuals and their use of alcohol.

"Losing a job is stressful for everyone but we found this is especially true for African Americans," said Rhonda Jones-Webb, Ph.D., a public health professor who was a lead author in the study. "Oftentimes these individuals have less economic resources to cope with the added stress a job loss entails, which can lead to psychological distress and increased alcohol use."

The searchers found that African-Americans, more than whites, were more likely to report both job losses during the 2008-2009 recession and higher alcohol use.

One positive note in the research was that higher levels of family social support were found to lessen the psychological effects of job losses. However, the positive benefit of family support was found only for whites and Latinos.

As such, searchers suggested that more attention should be paid going forward to the role of social support in black communities, especially in regards to outside-of-the-family sources, such as friends, neighbors and community leaders.

The authors of the study hope their work will spur more study on the topic and prompt clinics that deal with black communities -- as well as lawmakers and public officials -- to be mindful of the diverse effects job losses can have during times of economic hardship.